Method of handling anodes in electrolytic baths.



H. Nl. STUART.

METHOD 0F HANDLING ANODES IN ELECTROLYTIC BATHS.

APPLICATION FlLED JULY 2s. 191e.

1,299,519. f Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

I-HI Ul! narran spaans rarnnr carton A HEBER M. STUART, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTROLYTIC ZINC v trolyte is COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., A CORPORATION OE NEW YORK.

METHOD OF HANDLING ANODES IN ELECTROLYTIC B'ATHS.

Application filed July 26, 1916. Serial No. 111,367.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEBER M. STUART, subject of the King of England, residing at 3102 ODonnell street, Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Hanthe anode from reaching the cathode deposit; to cut down the percentage of slime produced; and to keep the slime product always in close contact with the remaining portion of the anode, during the disintegration of the latter. Other objects and aims of the invention will appear from the following description,

to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated a form of device which I havey found well adapted to the practice of my method.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation, with parts in section showing an anode with my novel device in place; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same.

Referring to the numerals on the drawing,4

1 indicate-s an anode such as is used in the zinc refining process described in an appli cation for Letters Patent of thev United States Serial No. 111,350 filed by Charles II. Aldrich and John K. Bryan; that is to say, the anode illustrated in the drawing comprises zinc-bearing material cast into anode form having lugs, one of which rests upon the bus-bar 2 while the other lug rests upon the usual insulation anode depending into the electrolytic tank or cell in the usual manner. As illustrated, the anode is relatively thin in Across section, and it will be understood that the usual elecemployed, for instance /zinc sulfate. 4 indicates an envelop or bag of some suitable material as for instance duck or canvas which is-pervious to the electrolyte, but through which the slimes, etc., resulting from the disintegration of the anode will not pass. This bag is close fitting to start with, and it is tied at the topy by any suitable means as for instance the loops .5.

It will be appreciated that this closefitting Specication of Letters Patent.

reference being had instance, zinc) pf Patented Apn, 1919.

bag will result in prev'entinginechanical contamination of the cathode deposit by the slime; and it will cut down the percentage of slimes produced, because the slime, being always in contact with the anode, continues to act as part of the anode, and the zinc content of the slime continues to dissolve, due to electrolytic action. In'order to maintain the tightness of fit of the bag as the disintegration of the anode proceeds under electrolysis, I place at suitable intervals along the depending length of the anode pairs or' partition strips 6, of wood or the like, bound together at their ends so thatgthey will remain in place. The result of this construction is to keep the bag close up to the inclosed anode and to'prevent the slimes from slipping to the bottom of the bag and causing abulge, which is obviously objectionable particularly where, as inthe usual practice', the anode and cathode are in close side-byside rela-tion. Furthermore, where the strips of wood G press against the bag they constitute a. current shield for the anode surface immediately thereunder, so that the anode will disintegrate where it is not covered by the strips, and where it is covered by the strips ribs will be formed, so that the bag will constantly be stretched. The resultl accomplished by means of the strips 6 might be obtained by painting upon the bag a band of suitable non-conducting material, such as non-conducting paint. Instead of arranging the current-shields or partition-strips G or their equivalents horizontally as shown in the drawings, they might be vertically disposed or otherwise arranged.

In addition to the advantages which have been mentioned the presence of the bag results in keeping any impurities in the slime in close contact with the excess metal (for which the anode is mainly composed, and which metal it is desired to deposit upon the cathode without co-deposition of any other metal. Thus in the zinc process referred to the cadmium in the slime is prevented from going into solution by reason of the fact that the slime is always held in contact with the excess of zinc in the anode, cadmium being of course more electronegative than zinc.

The bag also assists in maintaining the integrity of the anode, disintegration due to electrolysis. rll`hus the usual laking ofi' of the anode, and the dropf except for the normal A ping of the flakes to the bottom of thecell vare prevented.

Inasmuch as manychanges could be made in the above construction, and many apparentlyA widely different embodiments of my invention could be made without departing from'the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is to be understood that the language used inthe following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of theinvention herein described and all statements'of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

l. rIhe method of handling a soluble anod v in an electrolytic bath for the separation of sesl metals, which consists in surrounding the anode with a closely fitting envelop of material pervious to the electrolyte but through which the slimes, etc., resulting from the disintegration of the anode will `not pass and maintaining the tight t of the envelop as disintegration of the anode proceeds.

2. The method of handling a soluble anode in an electrolytic bath for the separation of metals, which consists in causing electro-v lytic disintegration of distinct areas of the anode, and keeping the slimes from such dis-v integration segregated and in Contact with the respective portions of the anode area from which they are produced.

' 3. rIhe method of handling` a soluble anod in an electrolytic bath for the separation of metals, which consists in protecting certain portions of the anode surface against electrolytic action, causing electrolytic action upon the remaining surfaces, and keeping the slimes resulting from such electrolytic action segregated and in contact with the portions of the anode surface from which they are produced.

4:.' A soluble anode provided with a closely fitting envelop of material pervious to solution to be electrolyzed but through which the slimes, etc., resulting from the disintegration of the anode will not pass, and nonconducting current-shields on the envelop protecting the surfaces of the anode therebeneath from electrolytic action.

5. A soluble anode provided with a closely fitting envelop of material pervious to solution to be elec-trolyzed but through which the slimes, etc., resulting from the disintegration of the anode will not pass, and nonconducting current-shields on the envelop protecting the surfaces of the anode therebeneath from electrolytic action, said current-shields dividing the surface of the anode into distinct areasand bearing against the anode surface to prevent slimes produced from one area under electrolysis from pass.- ing to another area.

6. A soluble anode relatively thin in crosssection, and provided with a closely fitting envelop of material pervious to solution to be electrolyzed but through which the slimes, etc., resulting from the disintegration of the anode will not pass, and-a pair of non-conducting strips, one on each side of the envelop, pressing the latter and the contained envelop between them.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HEBER M. STUART.

Witnesses JOHN K. BRYAN, EARL MULLINS. 

